a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth.
something intended or serving to convey a false impression; imposture.
His flashy car was a lie that deceived no one.
an inaccurate or untrue statement; falsehood.
When I went to school, history books were full of lies, and I won't teach lies to kids.
the charge or accusation of telling a lie.
He flung the lie back at his accusers.
to speak falsely or utter untruth knowingly, as with intent to deceive.
to express what is false; convey a false impression.
give the lie to,
to accuse of lying; contradict.
to prove or imply the falsity of; belie.
His poor work gives the lie to his claims of experience.
lie in one's throat / teeth, to lie grossly or maliciously: Also lie through one's teeth.
If she told you exactly the opposite of what she told me, she must be lying in her teeth.
to be in a horizontal, recumbent, or prostrate position, as on a bed or the ground; recline.
(of objects) to rest in a horizontal or flat position.
The book lies on the table.
to be or remain in a position or state of inactivity, subjection, restraint, concealment, etc..
to lie in ambush.
to rest, press, or weigh (usually followed by on orupon ).
These things lie upon my mind.
to depend (usually followed by on orupon ).
to be placed or situated.
land lying along the coast.
to be stretched out or extended.
the broad plain that lies before us.
to be in or have a specified direction; extend.
The trail from here lies to the west.
to be found or located in a particular area or place.
The fault lies here.
to consist or be grounded (usually followed byin ).
The real remedy lies in education.
to be buried in a particular spot.
Their ancestors lie in the family plot.
Law. to be sustainable or admissible, as an action or appeal.
Archaic. to lodge; stay the night; sojourn.
lie in
to be confined to bed in childbirth.
Chiefly British. to stay in bed longer than usual, especially in the morning.
lie with
to be the duty or function of.
The decision in this matter lies with him.
Archaic. to have sexual intercourse with.
lie up
to lie at rest; stay in bed.
(of a ship) to dock or remain in dock.
lie over to be postponed for attention or action at some future time.
The other business on the agenda will have to lie over until the next meeting.
lie down to assume a horizontal or prostrate position, as for the purpose of resting.
lie by
to pause for rest; stop activities, work, etc., temporarily.
to lie unused.
Ever since the last member of the family died, the old house has lain by.
take lying down, to hear or yield without protest, contradiction, or resistance.
I refuse to take such an insult lying down.
lie to, (of a ship) to lie comparatively stationary, usually with the head as near the wind as possible.
lie in state. state.
lie low. low.
lie down on the job, to do less than one could or should do; shirk one's obligations.
I don't know why they haven't fired that guy—he's always lying down on the job.
Jonas, 1880–1940, U.S. painter, born in Norway.
(Marius) Sophus 1842–99, Norwegian mathematician.
Trygve Halvdan 1896–1968, Norwegian statesman: secretary-general of the United Nations 1946–53.
(often foll by down) to place oneself or be in a prostrate position, horizontal to the ground
to be situated, esp on a horizontal surface
the pencil is lying on the desk
India lies to the south of Russia
to be buried
here lies Jane Brown
(copula) to be and remain (in a particular state or condition)
to lie dormant
to stretch or extend
the city lies before us
to rest or weigh
my sins lie heavily on my mind
(usually foll by in) to exist or consist inherently
strength lies in unity
(foll by with)
to be or rest (with)
the ultimate decision lies with you
archaic to have sexual intercourse (with)
(of an action, claim, appeal, etc) to subsist; be maintainable or admissible
archaic to stay temporarily
See state
to keep or be concealed or quiet
to wait for a favourable opportunity
the manner, place, or style in which something is situated
the hiding place or lair of an animal
golf
the position of the ball after a shot
a bad lie
the angle made by the shaft of the club before the upswing
the topography of the land
the way in which a situation is developing or people are behaving
(intr) to speak untruthfully with intent to mislead or deceive
(intr) to convey a false impression or practise deception
the camera does not lie
an untrue or deceptive statement deliberately used to mislead
something that is deliberately intended to deceive
to disprove
to accuse of lying
What's the difference between lie and lay? The sense of lie that’s often confused with lay means to be in or get into a reclining position—to recline, as in I just want to lie in bed for a few more minutes. Lay commonly means to put or place someone or something down, as in Lay the bags on the table or I’m going to lay the baby in the crib. Though it’s considered nonstandard, lay is commonly used to mean the same thing as this sense of lie, as in I just want to lay in bed for a few more minutes. The confusion between the two words is largely due to the fact that lay is also the past tense form of this sense of lie, as in I lay in bed yesterday morning wishing I could go back to sleep. The other tenses of this sense of lie are lain, as in I have lain in bed for the past three hours, and lying, as in I am lying in bed right now. (In contrast, when lie is used as a verb meaning to tell an untruth, its past tense is simply lied.)The other tenses of lay are laid, as in I laid the bags on the table, and laying, as in Start laying the fruit here and the vegetables there. Lay is typically used with an object, meaning someone or something is getting laid down by someone. In contrast, lie is something you do yourself without any other recipients of the action. This sense of lie is commonly used in the verb phrase lie down, as in I was feeling tired so I decided to lie down. Using the phrase lay down to mean the same thing is considered nonstandard, but it’s also very common. Lay down is also used as a verb phrase meaning about the same thing as lay, as in You can lay down your bags on the table (or You can lay your bags down on the table). Although lay and lie are often used interchangeably in casual communication, it’s best to use them in the standard way in more formal contexts. A good way to remember which one to use is to think about whether you could replace the word with put or recline. If you can replace it with put, you probably want to use lay, as in Please lay (put) the bags on the table. If you could replace the word with recline, you probably want to use lie, as in I just want to lie (recline) in bed for a few more minutes. Here’s an example of lay and lie used correctly in the same sentence. Example: He said he was just going to lay the blanket on the grass and lie on it for a few minutes, but he lied. After he laid the blanket down, he lay on it for two hours!Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between lie and lay.
See lay 1.
See falsehood.
First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English leye, lighe; Old English lyge, lige; cognate with German Lüge, Old Norse lygi; akin to Gothic liugn; (verb) Middle English lien, ligen, leie, Old English lēogan (intransitive); cognate with German lügen, Old Norse ljūga, Gothic liugan
First recorded before 900; Middle English lien, liggen, Old English licgan; cognate with German liegen, Dutch liggen, Old Norse liggja, Gothic ligan; akin to Greek léchesthai “to lie down”
When you don't tell the truth, you lie. You also lie down when you're sleepy and wonder what lies ahead of you. If we leave aside the lie that is an untruth, most meanings of lie are related. If something lies ahead of us, then it's there, down the road, waiting for us. If mountains lie to the east, we can think of them as having settled down there. If something lies unused, it is just sort of left to lie on the shelf (or wherever). If you let a sleeping dog lie, you're just letting him be right where he is — in the same position.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Guests lie on linen sheets, washed daily, on the floor for cleanliness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
The president has a largely ceremonial role, responsible for representation and the promulgation of laws, while most executive powers lie with the prime minister.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
It was an 11th successive win for South Africa as they cemented their position at the top of the world rankings, while Wales lie 12th.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
But what happens when the very existence of your twin is a lie?
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Not because for the first time in my life I had told a conscious lie.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Popular series covered by the agreements include Vanity Fair's "Lie Detector," BuzzFeed's "30 Questions" and Variety's "Know Their Lines?"
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
“We are well placed to capture expected growth and outpace overall defense industry growth,” said Chief Executive Eirik Lie.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
“The Boys of Dungeon Lane” begins with “As You Lie There,” his fond remembrances about a schoolboy crush.
From Salon ● May 12, 2026
In a world where country encompasses many genres, Top is known for his more traditional sounding songs including I Never Lie, which was also Grammy nominated.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
"Take it easy, Belet. You were practically dead a second ago. Lie back down for a while."
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
"Maybe I should have lain down on the floor to block it. I personally regret it," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
They had lain undiscovered beneath sand dunes but were exposed when they were scoured away by strong winds and high tides.
From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026
Someone close to us had died along the shoulder of a highway and had lain unnamed for more than 40 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
A rich copper belt in the north of the country has lain fallow since Macri crashed and burned in 2018.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2025
As we returned the dug-up riverbank to its former condition, tamping down the muddy area where the treasure had lain, Mr. Pinkerton and my aunt pondered the next step.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
"It certainly helps lay the groundwork for nuclear weapons in the future," said Imran Bayoumi, a resident fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank and former policy adviser at the US Defence Department.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Once your dates are prepped, lay them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
To my knowledge, Carney’s creator is neither crook nor salesman, but Whitehead can lay claim to those other two mantles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Judges and lay juries decide cases—whether this company wronged this plaintiff, on the record and before the court.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
The Bible lay at home on its shelf, but much of it was stored in his heart.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
David Pinnell, prosecuting, told the court Griffiths had lied to both women "about his occupation, his wealth, his military past and his future and past purchase of properties".
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
The investigation, opened by Justice Department prosecutors, seeks to determine if Carroll lied under oath during several depositions against Trump, CNN and The New York Times reported.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
Here, though, we learn something important: Penelope never lied to him.
From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026
But after questioning by Hughes’s family lawyers, Dummar revealed he hadn’t only lied about not knowing about the will, he actually dropped the document off at the church’s headquarters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
All three Fox sisters lied repeatedly about their ages, excused their actions, and blamed each other.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
But we know lying and cheating and reckless behavior when we see it, from man or machine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
“It had to be 3 in the morning, those were the days of those crazy hours,” Witkoff testified at Trump’s 2023 New York civil trial for a decadeslong scheme of lying about his property values.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
We have plenty of screen-based temptations lying around the house already, and my kids don’t need another.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
"A more relational, inclusive approach and having a conversation with the young person about what's lying behind that behaviour, what's driving it?"
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
The room seemed to whirl around him—the room full of lies, Mr. Reardon’s lying words, Jonah’s lying thoughts.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
